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Signs of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and CRPS Treatment

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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome was previously known as RSD. Moreover, its type 2 is causalgia which corresponds to type 1 except the fact that it is caused by a nerve lesion. As a result of a research, it is considered that CRPS type 1 is caused by nerve damage. In the wake of a recent discovery, it is stated that Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 and 2 are not any more relevant since four subtypes (four sorts) have been found.

As per the research further names include:

  • Causalgia
  • Algodystrophy
  • Postraumatic Dystrophy
  • Sudeck’s Atrophy
  • Shoulder-Hand Syndrome
  • MorbusSudeck

Additionally, the four subtypes are:

  • Acute
  • Chronic
  • Warm and Cold

Despite the fact that it is more common in women, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome can happen in anybody at any age, with a greatest at age 40. On the other hand, not many children under the age of ten and around no children under the age of five are influenced.

Symptoms of CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)

There may a constant pain in the key symptom. It has been depicted as:

  • Burning
  • Pins and needles

Or as somebody was pressing the affected limb.It may also depict that the pain may spread to the whole arm or leg, despite the fact that the injury may have just included a finger or toe. In uncommon cases, pain can in some cases even travel to the opposing extremity. There is often expanded feeling in the affected part, identified as allodynia, in which usual contact with the skin is felt as extremely painful.

Individuals with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome likewise feel changes in:

  • Skin temperature
  • Skin Color
  • Or swelling of the affected limb

This is because of strange microcirculation affected by harm to the nerves controlling blood flow and temperature. Accordingly, an affected arm or leg may feel hotter or cooler contrasted with the contrary limb. In addition, the skin on the affected limb may change:

  • Color
  • Become Blotchy, Blue, Purple, Pale, or Red

Following are further features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome:

  • There may be a change in skin texture on the affected area; as a result, it might seem shiny and thin.
  • There may be an irregular sweating pattern in the affected area or encompassing areas.
  • There may be changes in nail and hair development pattern.
  • There may be stiffness in affected joints.
  • You may feel difficulties coordinating muscle movement, with diminished capacity to move the affected part.
  • You may feel abnormal movement in the affected limb; most often fixed abnormal posture (also known as dystonia) yet in addition tremors in or jerking of the limb.

Treatment Options for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

  • Drug Therapy:
  1. Opioids
  2. Muscle Relaxants
  3. Local or Systemic Corticosteroids
  4. Tranquillizers
  5. Analgesics
  6. Anti-Inflammatories
  7. Tricyclics and related compounds
  8. Alpha-Adrenergic and Beta Blockers
  9. Calcium Channel Blockers
  10. Membrane Stabilizers
  • Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy
  • Psychotherapy
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Know the symptoms of your Complex regional pain syndrome

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The complex regional pain syndrome is a rare form of chronic pain that commonly affects the arm or the leg. The complex regional pain syndrome particularly develops after an injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack. The real cause complex regional pain syndrome is still not yet clear. The treatment is highly beneficial for complex regional pain syndrome if started as early as possible. Once the treatment is started earlier recovery even elimination is probable

Symptoms

Some common signs and symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome include:

  • Persistent burning or pulsating pain, usually in your arm, leg, hand or foot
  • Reactivity to touch or cold
  • Inflammation and bump of the painful area
  • Changes in skin temperature
  • Changes in skin color, ranging from white to red or blue
  • Changes in skin texture,
  • Changes in hair and nail growth
  • Joint stiffness, swelling and damage
  • Muscle spasms and weakness
  • Decreased ability to move the affected body part

The complex regional pain syndrome may spread from its source to other parts of the body such as opposite leg. Also the pain is aggravated by emotional pressure

In some cases the symptoms of complex regional pain disappear without any treatment. In others the signs and symptoms continue from months to years

When to consult a physician

If you feel severe and continuous pain that have an effect on the limb and mobilizing or touching the limb becomes extremely painful, immediately consult your doctor to diagnose the underlying cause

Complex regional pain syndrome occurs in two types, with similar signs and symptoms, but different causes.

Types of complex regional pain syndrome

Type 1

The certain type of the complex regional pain syndrome, this type is observed after an illness or injury that does not damage the nerves directly in the affected limb. Most of the people experience the type 1 syndrome

Type 2

The certain type of complex regional pain syndrome can also be referred to as Causalgia, this type occur after a certain nerve injury. The symptoms occur after certain trauma or crash injury to the arm or the leg. Other minor traumas such as surgery, heart attack, infections and even sprained ankles

What might be the complications?

If the complex regional pain syndrome is not diagnosed and treated earlier the disease may aggravate to enfeebling signs and symptoms; that may include;

Tissue wasting;

If due to severe pain you have difficulty in moving your leg due to stiffness, your skin bones and muscles may get worse and weaken

Muscle contraction

Also muscle contraction may occur. The hands fingers of your hands and foot may fix to a fixed place

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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – Details To Know About!

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You might definitely be worried, if any of your loved one is suffering from an unexplained severe pain that they are unable to describe but are troubled by the chronic condition they are facing. Acute pain in the arms, legs, hands or feet as a result of some injury or following an accident is said to be as complex regional pain syndrome. As its name suggests the pain occurs when one specific part of the body probably a limb is in pain due to the trauma or injury to that area.

The people, who ignore it, must be fully aware that this condition might be caused by a malfunction of the nervous system that deals with the signalling of the brain, the spinal cord and the rest of the body. CPRS if not taken care of, can lead to excessive pain, a little change in the skin color, most importantly the color of the affected area as well as the temperature.

Who Are The Prospective Candidates?

Irrespective of any age people can get affected by CPRS. However, the most probable candidates are said to be the ones in the ages of 40, whereas on the other hand it is rarely found in the elders.

The Diagnosis Of CPRS

Till now, there is no test to confirm the condition of complex regional pain syndrome. However, to know about the condition of the patient in detail, the individual’s medical history is thoroughly examined as well as the symptoms to check whether they match with the definition or not.

What Symptoms Confirm About Cprs!

Since there is no standard way of knowing about CPRS, one must know in detail regarding the signs landing a patient in such chronic condition.

  • Swelling in the affected area
  • Feeling pain that is excruciating, deep, burning, aching etc
  • Abnormal hair or nail growth
  • Abnormal changes in the skin color and also the temperature of the body
  • Patients facing this condition have to suffer from limited range of motion, weakness or other disorders like paralysis or dystonia

If you or any of your loved one is suffering from complex regional pain syndrome or any other body pain, get a professional advice from Dr. Zaki Anwar by placing an appointment at (815) 464-7212). He is an expert anesthesiologist and certified Pain Management Specialist who has been practicing pain relief techniques for the past several years with effective results.

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Here is How You can Cope With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)!!

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The pain in the arms, legs, hands or feet that occurs as a result of some major or minor accident and is usually ignored after taking some over the counter medications, thinking that these would be enough to cure the pain. But if the pain as a result of some injury is not treated then it can worsen leading to complex regional pain syndrome. This term is said to be a condition that brings the pain after an injury or after some damage or malfunction that is caused to the peripheral and central nervous system.

What are the Symptoms of CRPS?

One most common symptom of complex regional pain syndrome is said to be the continuous pain intense pain in the affected limbs and becomes worse with the passage of time. The other symptoms include:

  • Disability in moving the affected joint
  • A burning excruciating pain
  • The affected joints become swollen and get stiffed
  • You may see changes in the pattern of nail and hair growth, either there is more or no hair growth at all.
  • Skin changes are observed when CRPS is faced. There is change in skin temperature either too warm or cold. The skin color changes to pale, purple or blotchy. The texture of the skin changes to shiny and thin etc

The Coping Strategies!

Knowing that you are facing complex regional pain syndrome, below strategies can followed:

Learn to Pace Yourself!!

You should be well aware of your body’s limit in performing the tasks. You should know which activity you can do for how much time. This way only, you will be able to decrease the burden on yourself. For instance if you have decided to wash the clothes then make sure that it is restricted one pile that oyu wash that would not cause stress on your body.

Relaxation

Stay informed about the relaxation exercises because those would be the techniques that will calm yourself and also slow down your nervous system. Learning a few relaxation exercises would help alleviate your pain associated with complex regional pain syndrome.

Distraction

Focus on distracting your attention from the pain that you are experiencing. In case the medication requires time to work, you can perform some other tasks at that time such as craft-work, painting, watching television, writing, knitting etc.

If you or any of your loved one is suffering from chronic complex regional pain syndrome or any other body pain, get a professional advice from Dr. Zaki Anwar by placing an appointment at (815) 464-7212). He is an expert anesthesiologist and certified Pain Management Specialist who has been practicing pain relief techniques for the past several years with effective results.

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Battling With The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a painful condition that has no cure and the ones suffering from it, either bear the pain to the highest extent or lose their life while battling this condition.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a disorder also known as, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome. This pain associated condition is chronic in which high intensity nerve impulses are emitted to the pain-struck site, causing a sharp pain. According to many experts, who have researched regarding CRPS, believe that this particular problem has nervous system as the root cause and is most commonly found in people aged between 20 to 35, with no cure at all. The only way this fatal condition can be provided with the cure is by alleviating it with the help of treatments prescribed by your doctor.

The treatments are inclusive of psychotherapy, physical therapy and also, with the help of following medication, such as topical analgesics, narcotics, Corticosteroids, Osteoporosis medication, antidepressants, osteoporosis medicines and anti seizure drugs.

Symptoms Of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

The symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) are fully dependent on the length of the pain and its severity. What usually happens is that, if an accident occurs and any part of the body is hit, and the pain ends up spreading across the major area, then this might be leading to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome; also, there are several other symptoms that you can keep an eye out for:

  1. The burning pain
  2. Affected joints may feel swollen and stiffness
  3. Disability in movement
  4. Changes in hair or growth pattern of the body part that’s hurt
  5. Change in emotional status, and also, in the texture of the skin.

How To Treat CRPS?

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome has no proper medication that can be used as its treatment, rather there are few pain relieving steps that you can take in order to get rid of the pain, for a longer run.

  1. Sympathetic Nerve Blocks – These nerve blocks are injected in the spine, which keep the painful sensation from being transmitted to the brain, causing no painful feeling at all.
  2. Intrathecal Drug Pumps – These are the pumps and catheters that function by sending the pain relieving medicines to the spine.
  3. Surgical Sympathectomy – This particular treatment works actively towards getting rid of the nerves, responsible behind CRPS. Being as a controversial technique to alleviate the pain, this treatment can either finish the pain or boost it.
  4. Spinal Cord Stimulation – This treatment requires a few electrodes to be placed around the spinal fluid, providing it relief with CRPS.
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Dealing With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a painful condition that usually affects the hands, legs, arms and feet; caused generally by some trauma to the limbs, in some accident that might’ve acted as a trauma to that limb. The main cause of CRPS as studied, is due to the malfunctioning of the main nervous system, i.e. the brain and the spinal cord.

Symptoms Of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The pain felt as CRPS is a bit monotone as it happens in a same manner, over and over again. The main symptom that is felt during the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is the pain that feels as though as the body is being stabbed with several needles at once, and maybe as if the affected limb is being pressed down real hard by an external force.

Sometimes such injuries can happen when you might’ve just hurt your finger or just your toe, however, with time, you now feel the pain spread through the arm or leg. Just to be sure, following are the symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome that you can keep an eye after and be aware of the situation, before hand:

  1. Continuously throbbing pain
  2. Hot and cold sensitivity
  3. Swelling of the area in pain
  4. Changes in skin temperature, as well as its color.
  5. More joint stiffness and damage
  6. Spasms in muscles, weakness and disability to move the certain limb will be experienced

With time and of course, the age of the person who is facing the CRPS, the symptoms and cause might vary and show different signs; which might be more painful and agonizing.

Can Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Go Away?

CRPS varies with each person and shows different signs. It is possible that this condition may last in a person, just for a short while and fade is intensity with time. Whilst there are some, in whom, the pain may persist and even increase instead of lessening with time. It all comes down to the treatment and its time. If the treatment is given to the person suffering from CRPS on time, then the symptoms will decrease and pain will go away.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a condition that is fatal and can become severe with time. Researches have been done in this field to find out more about CRPS and the medication that is necessary to cure this condition. Fortunately, the researches have resulted in a positivity and in future, more solutions regarding CRPS are promised to be found.

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Things You Must Know About Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

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Pain is a common phenomenon that we experience very often after doing heavy workout at gym, long hours of office work, or house cleaning. Sometimes, while doing our daily activities or accidently we get injured. Minor injuries are often get healed by taking medication as prescribed by an experienced doctors. However, there are certain injuries to which a person’s body may react abnormally. One of the various abnormal reactions is CRPS.

CRPS

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a persistent medical condition in which a patient experiences consistent debilitating and severe pain. Though majority of CRPS cases are caused by an injury, the subsequent pain is intense and enduring than normal. The pain is often limited to one limb; however, it can sometimes extend to other body parts. Affected body parts’ skin may become significantly sensitive that just a minor touch or even a variation in temperature can arouse enormous acute pain. Many CRPS cases slowly improve to some extent over time, or get fully better. But in certain cases, CRPS never goes away and the patient will continue to experience pain for many years ahead.

Treatment

If you are experiencing persistent pain that is preventing you from doing day-to-day activities, see your doctor and get an expert treatment as soon as possible. Delay in treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) could result in chronic medical condition.

Healing

Along with taking cure and treatment as per your doctor’s instructions, making the most of following therapies will fasten the healing process and help relieve Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS):

Psychological Support: Emotional help, optimistic thinking and health counseling will uplift your self-confidence that will assist in your fast recovery to your normal activities.

Acupuncture: It is an ancient Chinese alternative medicine in which fine needles are inserted in specific body parts from where pain originates.

Final Note

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a persistent painful body limb condition that requires immediate treatment to avoid any sort of long-term chronic consequences. Getting psychological support from a health counselor and acupuncture from an experienced practitioner will help a patient’s quick recovery. In case you or any of your loved one has recently injured and suffering from any sort of body pain, get an experienced advice from Dr. Zaki Anwar by placing an appointment at (815) 464-7212. He is a certified Pain Management Specialist who has been providing effective treatment of CRPS for several years with successful results. We will respond you within 24 hours.

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